55 Tree of Life

Days passed by and turned into weeks. Eventually, those weeks grew into months. Time continued to pass but the Eternal Forest cared not. The giant, ancient trees of the forest continued to sleep and dream of past days. They thought it preferable to daydream eternally than wake up. Better a free man in their dreams than a damned prisoner in reality.

It was escapism at its finest but could anyone really blame them for it? Lu'um couldn't. The odds were against them. Against everyone. Against everything that once was and could be in the future.

She couldn't blame them for surrendering in the face of the end. They had the right to do so. But she didn't. And neither did he. They'd have to bear their burden once again and this time…